Bigger Than Capes

Writer: Doug Wagner
Artist: Daniel Hillyard
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Editor: Keven Gardner
Designer: Sasha E Head
Publisher: Image

The Comic Books Code seems like a long time ago. Both the cover and the first page of Vinyl let you know that the kids will probably be having nightmares if you give them this, and some of the adults might join them.

Vinyl is not short of grisly deaths. There’s a lot to infer in this first issue, but it seems a serial killer named Walter is the star of the show. We all have our concerns about people who love the scratchy sound of vinyl records, but in fairness, most of them don’t don a bear mask and butcher folk. Most of them. As far as I can tell.

There’s what appears to be a supernatural accomplice for Walter, although it’s possible that it’s a figment of his imagination – again, he loves the sound of vinyl so he’s got issues.

Art wise, Daniel Hillyard’s work reminds me of Darick Robertson’s work on Transmetropolitan. There’s plenty of personality in the figures, and colourist Dave Stewart does a great job with detailed shading and some vibrant gore. Ed Dukeshire has clearly had a lot of fun with sound effect lettering here with some great over the top work towards the end of the issue.

As the issue unfolds we get some FBI types, some cultists and references to Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Johnson and Allan Ginsberg for the pop culture enthusiasts. Plus more grisly deaths of course.

They managed to rip through a lot of story (amongst other things) in 22 pages here, and I’m definitely interested in what comes next.